In my quest for new challenges, I became a homebrewer! I started with the local Brew on Premises, but when they closed down, I got myself everything I need at home to whip up a batch of beer. But even more fun than making beer is designing the label to stick on the bottle! Sure beats collecting stamps!
Okay, my homebrew labels have been pushed down the page by my writing about beer in Chicago. Give me more time to square this page away, and you'll see them again!

Now you can get my artwork on goodies!Proceeds go directlyto benefit... well, me!

Apr 22, 2011

In the 14 year history of the Boston Brewing Co.'s Samuel Adams LongShot homebrewing contest, it would seem impossible that one person could actually win twice. With thousands of entries submitted each year, from which two homebrewers' and a Sam Adams employee's winning entries are chosen to be brewed up in a special six-pack, a repeat performance would be much against the odds.

But in my observation of real life, coincidence seems much more repeatable than statistical odds.
The 2010 LongShot sixpack includes "Blackened Hops," a Cascadian IPA (or, if you'll forgive the oxymoron, a Black India Pale Ale) by Lombard resident Rodney Kibzey. Kibzey had previously won the 2007 LongShot with a Weizenbock, which hit store shelves in 2008.
Rodney appeared at Lombard's Famous Liquors on April 2, where he autographed bottles and was treated like, maybe not so much a rock star as an indie rock star. Sam Adams representatives were on hand to sample out their Latitude 48 IPA as well, and Famous also had a wine and cheese tasting in store (Stilton! Yum!).
Between autographing, handing out Sam Adams hats and pouring samples,Rodney answered a few of my beer geek questions:

MM: Doesn’t the name “Blackened Hops” seem a little misleading? It sounds like the hops themselves have been toasted to a crisp.Rodney: Well, a lot people like to call it “Cascadian Dark Ale,” I just like to call it “beer goodness.”MM: I assume you’ve been entering the LongShot competitions since they started. Were the organizers at Sam Adams surprised that you’d won your second one?Rodney: Yeah, a lot of people we’re shocked. They’re like “Not again!” But they picked the best beers, and the cream always rises to the top.MM: Have you done this “tour” the last time, too? Are all the winners doing this kind of thing?Rodney: Usually they do it out of choice. I live local, in Lombard, I usually come here to Famous Liquors, so I'm kind of giving back to the community.MM: So the Sam Adams people just said, “If you want to do this, we’ll come out?”Rodney: Yeah. The people in the store know me, I come in here periodically, and they said yeah, we want you to come back and do a pouring.MM: So what are you thinking of for the next contest? Or are they going to force you retire and rename the contest after you?Rodney: Well, I think I'm kind of done. I've said to myself before I won this year’s contest, that win, lose or draw, this is it. The next step would probably be to go pro.
For those who think the playing field might be a bit more level this year, Sam Adams is now taking entries for the 2011 LongShot. The rules and links to enter are here.

1:00 - 7:00 p.m. American Craft Beer TastingBinny's Beverage Depot, 8935 N. Milwaukee, Niles, IL (847) 966-2300
Taste over 40 great craft beers from the east coast to the west coast and all points in between! Sample an array of styles from top producers that include Smuttynose IPA, Lagunitas Hairy Eyeball and a huge variety of others. $5 W/ Binny's Card / $10 non-members. Call (847) 966-2300 or email niles@binnys.com for more information.

6:00 - 10:00 p.m. Map Room Beer SchoolThe Map Room, 1949 N. Hoyne Chicago (773) 252-7636
Greg Browne, brewmaster at Mickey Finn's Brewery in Libertyville, guides us through the nuances of beer and its appreciation. Students study several beers and learn exactly what they're tasting and the roles that the ingredients and the brewing process have in forming those aromas and flavors. Don't miss a great opportunity to enjoy fine beer, good company and expert tutelage. Price, $25 per person. April's topic: Bock beers. Tickets went on sale on the Monday evening before beer school (April 18), starting at 7 p.m. first come-first serve until all tickets have been sold. You must have a ticket to attend Beer School.

7:00 p.m. Drinking & Writing Christmas Show in AprilDrinking & Writing Theater @ Haymarket Pub & Brewery, 737 W. Randolph St, Chicago
Take the first step in April! So we didn't get a chance to perform our Christmas show a few months ago. So what's wrong with doing it in April? That's right, April. It's Drinking & Writing Volume IV, The 12 Steps of Christmas! We've added some new material and a few surprises. Plus $5 dollars from every ticket sold will be donated to Donate Life Illinois. Drinking & Writing Volume IV, The 12 Steps of Christmas! thru April 23rd, 7:00 p.m., The Drinking & Writing Theater @ Haymarket Pub and Brewery.

Sunday, April 24

Due to ongoing turmoil at the ole manse (as in, I just got laid off), I was unable to devote much time to compiling Easter brunch listings. I have made note of the one Brunch announcement that includes some craft beer specials.

10:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Easter Beer BrunchFountainhead, 1970 W. Montrose Ave, Chicago (773) 697-8204
Do you really want to spend Easter Sunday slicing ham and whipping sweet potatoes? No. You'd much rather come enjoy a 4 course meal created by Chef Robyn & paired with some of the best beers Phil has to offer!Reservations will be required for this event, so please call NOW to reserve your table! For just $45 a person, you will receive the following delicious pairings:

Please call 312-343-0842 to reserve your spot. Easter Beer Brunch seatings are available from 10:30 - 2:00. We will offer the meal without the beer pairings for $30. We also plan to have a limited number of regular brunch items available a la carte.

Monday, April 18

Beerducation classes with Marty NachelCrown Brewing, 211 S. East St., Crown Pount, IN (219) 663-4545Beerducation classes with Marty Nachel will be held on 4/18 and 4/25. 4/18 is the level one course and 4/25 is level two. You can sign up at the bar. Space is limited.

Tuesday, April 19

6:00 - 11:00 p.m. Avery Night - Joe's Pils TappingFountainhead, 1970 W. Montrose Ave, Chicago (773) 697-8204We are helping launch Avery's newest beer, Joe's Pilsner. Enjoy a sneak preview with draft pints of the upcoming release. Joe's Premium American Pilsner is a contemporary rendition of a classic style, Joe's is hopped with purpose: beautifully bitter and dry with an abundance of floral, Noble German hops. Uber sessionable. Utterly American. This is Premiuim American Pilsner. ABV: 4.7% IBUs: 42 In addition to Joe's Pils, we will be pouring Avery's IPA, Karma, & Salvation, and a select amount of Mephistopheles bottles!!! As usual Chef Robyn will be whipping up some small plate pairing specials to go with these drafts.

7:00 p.m. Food Truck Summit and Book SigningGoose Island Brewpub, 1800 N. Clybourn Ave., Chicago (312) 915-0071With food-truck fever sweeping the nation, intrepid journalist Heather Shouse launched a coast-to-coast exploration of street food. In Food Trucks, she gives readers a page-by-page compass for finding the best movable feasts in America. Join us as we support the cause for the freedom of food trucks across the nation! Expect to enjoy service from Southern Mac, Flirty Cupcakes, Sweet Misgivings, Hummingbird Kitchen, Gastro-Wagon, 5411 Empanadas, Tamale Spaceship and Bridgeport Pasty. Author Heather Shouse will be signing copies of her book.

7:00 p.m. New Belgium Brewery NightThe Map Room, 1949 N. Hoyne, Chicago (773) 252-7636If you enjoy the great beers of New Belgium Brewing, this is the night for you! We'll be pouring a number of beers from their Lips of Faith series, carefully paired with some delicious bites from Chef Andy from Third Coast Chef. 1554 with braised beef short ribs in a 1554 bbq sauce. Le Terroir with fried chicken wings with a sweet/sour terrior sauce. Dunkel Weisse with banana bread pudding. Additional information can be found on a special event page on Facebook.

8:00 p.m. Stammtisch Alt TappingFlossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery, 1035 Sterling Ave., Flossmoor, IL (708) 957-BREWWe have the perfect bier for these windy spring days, and it's our Stammtisch Alt! Stammtisch is from the German to describe the "regulars" table. Found at many pubs, the stammtisch table is set aside for the regular diners/pubbers, and is generally set aside and marked off so that not just anyone can sit down at it. Not to worry, this Alt won't be just for our mug club members, but they will be the first to taste it next Tuesday, in our pseudostammtisch room! Cheers!

6:30 - 9:30 p.m. Lucky Monk Brewmaster DinnerThe Lucky Monk Burger, Pizza & Beer, 105 Hollywood Blvd., South Barrington, IL (847) 898-0500Spend a night at The Lucky Monk learning the intricacies of brewing the perfect batch of beer with our Brewmaster, Anthony Carollo. You will have the opportunity to see our brewery in action with a guided tour. Afterwards, we will offer a pairing of our six craft beers with a six-course dinner, which will include Lobster Bisque, Filet Medallions and much more! Everyone will receive a complimentary Bomber filled with one of our signature brews.

7:00 p.m. Avery Brewery NightThe Map Room, 1949 N. Hoyne, Chicago (773) 252-7636We'll be featuring three fine beers from Avery Brewing Company paired with four different cheeses, as selected by our good friend Dave Phillips from Cheese and Cheers. Trust us - Dave knows his stuff. It will definitely be a case of good judgement!

Thursday, April 21

6:00 - 7:00 p.m. Double Tapping at Rock Bottom ChicagoRock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery, 1 W. Grand Ave., Chicago (312) 755-9339Join us for our Heller Bock & Fujo Black Lager Double-Tapping Party.Heller Bock - As seasons change and Biergartens open, so do the offerings of Strong Lagers. While Bocks of late winter tend to be dark, the Bock beers of spring lighten in color while retaining ample strength and plenty of flavor. Our Heller Bock is a medium to fuller-bodied, gold to amber in color, with fairly balanced flavors of hops and malt. A refreshing and soulful brew for the transition of seasons.Fujo Black Lager - Traditional Black Lagers, or Scwartzbiers as they are known in Germany, are drinkable dark lagers with robust roasted barley and black malt flavor. This obscure style has been adopted by most major Japanese breweries as a standard offering. We have brewed this lager in charitable effort to raise money for tsunami relief efforts in Japan. Through the Rock Bottom Foundation, we will be donating proceeds from the sales of this beer. Fujo translates to English as aid, help, assistance, or support.

6:00 - 9:00 p.m. Goose Island Mini Invasion at Bistro 110Bistro 110, 110 E. Pearson St., Chicago (312) 266-3110Join Goose Island for a mini invasion as we take over Bistro 110's six taps for the month of April with a tasting party on the 21st.

6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Spring Gathering Charity Fund RaiserRock Bottom Orland Park, 16156 S. La Grange Rd., Orland Park, IL (708) 226-0021We are holding a Charity Fund Raiser party to help raise funds for our annual Spring Gathering on the April 24th. The Spring Gathering is our annual giving back to the community event when we invite local underprivileged families into the restaurant for an Easter Brunch and fun packed activities for the kids. We will have special pint glasses available for purchase filled with beer, a silent auction and a 50/50 raffle.

6:30 - 11:30 p.m. Crispin Desert Noir Release Party & Artisanal Cider and Cheese PairingThe Bavarian Lodge, 1800 Ogden Ave, Lisle, ILJoin us for the official release party of a very limited release draught oak barrel aged cider from Crispin! Desert Noir blends apple-wine aged in Tennessee Whiskey Barrels with apple-wine aged in red wine oak barrels then back-sweetened with Agave Nectar and a touch of Prickly Pear Nectar. Available on draft only in very limited quantities. Enjoy the very special Desert Noir plus three other ciders from Crispin's Artisanal Reserve series, served as a flight, with each cider paired with a handmade artisanal cheese. Representatives from Crispin Cider will be in attendance and will speak about each of their extraordinary ciders.Crispin Cider Flight (Five Ounces of Each): - Desert Noir Cider - Honey Crisp (fermented with organic honey) - The Saint (fermented with Belgian Trappist yeast) - Lansdowne (fermented with Irish Stout Ale yeast) Plus a flight of four different artisan-made cheeses, paired with each of these premium ciders.Cider & Cheese Flight: $15 each. No RSVP Required.

7:00 - 10:00 p.m. Death From Above: An Epic Burger EventThree Aces Chicago, 1321 W. Taylor St., Chicago (312) 243-1577Come out and try the burger that was featured on WGN. $20 gets you the Death From Above burger (this burger is being exclusively made for this event and this event ONLY) an kick-ass side and a New Holland Golden Cap that was perfectly paired for this burger directly from the guys at New Holland brewery. The Death From Above burger is an all duck meat patty, topped with a duck egg, bourbon prune jam and coleslaw with apple and spices. The side of duck fat fries are topped with duck confit poutine.

Apr 15, 2011

Friday April 15

5:00 - 8:00 p.m. Bell's Spring Tasting at Vrai Amour Vrai Amour, 953 W. Webster Ave. Chicago (773) 549-9740
Our annual tasting at this great shop just right around the corner from DePaul University. Help us kick off spring while tasting some Oberon! There will be many other great Bell's beers to sample also. No Charge for samples.

Saturday, April 16

11:00 a.m. Founders Tenth Annual Black Party Founders Brewing Co., 235 Grandville Ave SW, Grand Rapids, MI
We're stoked to announce our TENTH ANNUAL Black Party, our annual celebration of Black Beers! Wrap your lips around our darkest brews from open-to-close, with a star-studded taplist featuring 2011 and 2010 KBS, Breakfast Stout, Imperial Stout, Black IPA, Oatmeal Stout, Frangelic Stout, Porter, and a BOATLOAD of surprise tappings.You will not want to miss this one! Plus, you can munch on Justin and Jmac's famous Dirty Bastard Bratwursts. AND make sure you don't miss evening entertainment starting at 9:30 p.m. with Oracle (Our very own supergroup, featuring head brewers Jer and Diamond, performing The Black Crowes "Southern Harmony and Musical Companion") with Four Finger Five (Funk, rock, and soul jams from Muskegon). Admission is $8 for the general public and $6 for 2011 Mug Club Members. Your paid entry includes your first Class 1 pint AND a commemorative pint glass to take home!

12:00 - 3:00 p.m. Hoppy Easter Beer Fest Whole Foods, 201 W 63rd St., Willowbrook, IL (630) 655-5000
Jess from Metropolitan Brewing will be on-hand at this fun beer fest to sample out all four of their regular brews. Really, the only way to grocery shop is with a beer in your hand.

7:00 p.m. Crispin Cider Tasting at Cary Public HouseCary Public House, 208 W. Main St., Cary, IL (847) 639-7244Crispin Cider will be sampling their artisanal reserves and their new Fox Barrel Pear line with different food items.

7:00 p.m. Drinking & Writing Christmas Show in April Drinking & Writing Theater @ Haymarket Pub & Brewery, 737 W. Randolph Street, Chicago, IL
Take the first step in April! So we didn't get a chance to perform our Christmas show a few months ago. So what's wrong with doing it in April? It's Drinking & Writing Volume IV, The 12 Steps of Christmas! We've added some new material and a few surprises. Plus $5 dollars from every ticket sold will be donated to Donate Life Illinois.